Denmark’s national association for water utilities welcomes the government’s budget allocation for climate adaptation projects, but warns funding must be paired with coordinated national plans and greater protection for groundwater and drinking water.
Government Proposes Storm Surge Defense Funding
The Danish government’s proposed national budget includes significant investments to safeguard the country against the growing risks of climate-induced flooding. In particular, approximately 900 million Danish kroner (about $130 million USD) has been earmarked to support storm surge protection efforts. This move has been lauded by DANVA, the Danish Water and Wastewater Association, which represents the interests of water utilities across the country.
The funding package includes initiatives such as feasibility studies for coastal protection projects, environmental impact assessments for flood defenses in the Copenhagen metropolitan area, an extension of the national coastal protection pool, and a nationwide inspection of dike infrastructure. These efforts aim to address the rising costs and risks posed by increasingly heavy rainfall and storm floods linked to climate change.
Call for a Comprehensive Climate Adaptation Plan
While DANVA supports these initiatives, the organization emphasizes that funding alone is not enough. A long-delayed national strategy, known as “Climate Adaptation Plan II,” has yet to be published. This plan is expected to streamline and guide local and regional climate adaptation efforts. DANVA stresses that implementing a coordinated and cross-sectoral approach will ensure that urban areas and critical infrastructure are protected not only from storm surges but from the diverse sources of flooding, coastal, urban, and groundwater, that increasingly threaten communities.
DANVA advocates for nationally led and integrated frameworks that connect all levels of government and utility providers. Without such coordination, funding risks being spent inefficiently, failing to deliver meaningful protections against climate-related water damage.
Funding Falls Short on Groundwater Protection
Although the government has taken steps to address flooding, the proposed budget does not allocate new funds for the protection of drinking water sources. Denmark’s groundwater, which supplies nearly all of the country’s drinking water, remains vulnerable to contamination from agriculture, pollution, and other human activities.
DANVA warns that the omission of new support for groundwater protection is a serious oversight. It notes that while grants from the Drinking Water Fund were extended earlier this year, with 92 million kroner ($13.2 million USD) allocated for 2026 and 98 million kroner ($14 million USD) for 2027, these amounts are insufficient considering the scale of the challenge. Effective groundwater protection requires investments on the order of billions of kroner over the coming years.
More Support Needed for Sustainable Agriculture
The government’s proposal does include a contribution of 45.2 million kroner ($6.5 million USD) annually through 2029 to the Organic Agriculture Work Foundation. While DANVA supports this funding as a step toward more sustainable food systems, since organic farming typically minimizes harmful runoff into water systems, the organization argues that far more resources are needed for comprehensive protection of groundwater.
DANVA asserts that safeguarding drinking water should not rely solely on consumer-paid water tariffs but require state investment. Public funding, the organization argues, demonstrates a shared national commitment to protecting essential resources.
Urgency for Unified Action
Denmark’s water utilities have increasingly had to manage the impacts of extreme weather events. Floods damage homes, roads, and vital infrastructure, while also posing health risks due to overwhelmed wastewater systems. Recent legislative changes in 2025 now allow municipalities and local utilities to work together on managing near-surface groundwater, which has improved local capacity to handle these challenges.
Nonetheless, DANVA emphasizes that water management is a shared responsibility across government, utilities, and communities. Without clear national leadership and a robust Climate Adaptation Plan II, the piecemeal response will leave many areas unprepared for the intensifying effects of climate change.
The organization continues to call for integrated solutions that protect both people and resources, from reinforced coastlines to clean, accessible drinking water, ensuring that Denmark’s response to climate challenges is effective, equitable, and sustainable.
